Strawberry Crumb Tart

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

225g plain flour

25g icing sugar

125g unsalted butter, cold & cubed

1 egg, beaten

For the filling:

500g strawberries, hulled & halved

3 tbsp cornflour

65g caster sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Juice of half a lemon

For the crumb topping:

150g Dean's shortbread

35g ground almonds

35g melted butter

1/4 tsp ground ginger Method:

For the pastry, place the flour, icing sugar and butter into a food processor and blitz into fine crumbs. Add half the beaten egg and mix to form a soft dough, adding a little more egg if it feels dry. Tip the dough onto a piece of cling film and bring together with your hands. Wrap tightly and chill for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle another piece of cling film and a rolling pin with a little flour, then place the chilled pastry onto the floured cling film. Carefully roll into a circle around 3 to 4 mm thick. Pick up the pastry using the cling film and flip over onto a 23cm fluted tart tin - press carefully into the tin. Chill for 15 minutes.

Prepare the strawberry filling by mixing all the filling ingredients together, leave to one side.

Pre-heat the oven to 180degC/160degC. Remove the chilled pastry case from the fridge and trim the edges, line with a piece of baking paper and fill with baking beans, bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans then lightly brush the baked pastry with a little beaten egg, return to the oven for a further two minutes.

Remove from the oven and gently tip the strawberry filling mixture into the baked pastry case, return to the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the crumb topping by placing the shortbread into a plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin. Tip the crumbs into a bowl and mix with the rest of the topping ingredients. Remove the tart from the oven and sprinkle over the crumb topping - finish in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes or until bubbling and golden.

Allow the tart to cool in the tin then transfer to a serving plate. Serve in wedges with a little creme fraiche or ice cream on the side.

Serves 8

www.deans.co.uk/recipes